Blue Verbena or Simpler’s-joy is a 2-5 ft., stout-stemmed perennial with numerous, pencil-like flower spikes branched upwards like the arms of a candelabra. Each flower spike has a ring of blue-purple flowers; the flowers at the bottom of the spike bloom first, and the ring of flowers appears to advance upward to the tips of the spike. Stiff, pencil-like spikes of numerous small, tubular, blue-violet flowers are at the top of a square, grooved stem and its branches. An attractive perennial, it has flowers on showy candelabra-like spikes. Bumblebees are among the important pollinators.

BENEFIT

Use Wildlife: Attracts bees.

Use Medicinal: This plant has been used for many years as a medicinal herb for treating convalescents and people suffering from depression, headaches, jaundice, cramps, coughs and fevers. Externally, it has been applied to wounds, ulcers and acne. Swamp vervain can, however, interere with blood pressure medication and hormone therapy, and large doses cause vomiting and diarrhea. (Kershaw)

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Attracts: Birds , Butterflies

Larval Host: Common Buckeye

Eupatorium perfoliatum. Boneset.Tiny, white flowers are arranged in fuzzy clusters top the 3-6 ft. stems of this perennial. Hairy plant with dense flat-topped clusters of many dull-white flowers. Paired leaves, united basally, are perforated by the erect stems.

BLOOM INFORMATION

Bloom Color: White

Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

BENEFIT

Use Medicinal: The dried leaves have been used to make a tonic, boneset tea, thought effective in treating colds, coughs, and constipation. (Niering)

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Attracts: Birds , Butterflies

Nectar Source: yes

Eupatorium perfoliatum (Boneset)

Eupatorium maculatum Spotted Joe Pye Weed

Eupatoriadelphus maculatus. Spotted Joe Pye Weed. Atop a sturdy purple or purple-spotted stem, hairy above, is a large pinkish-purplish, flat-topped cluster of fuzzy flower heads. Spotted joe-pye weed can grow from 2-7 ft. or taller in soils that are moist through the season. Narrow, lance-shaped leaves, up to 10 in. long, are whorled along the purple spotted stem. The huge, domed flower head is composed of several branches bearing tiny, pinkish-lavender florets.

BLOOM INFORMATION

Bloom Color: Red , Purple

Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep

BENEFIT

Use Wildlife: An important source of honey, attracting pollinators by the score.

Use Medicinal: Folklore tells that an Indian, Joe Pye, used this plant to cure fevers and that the early American colonists used it to treat an outbreak of typhus. (Niering)

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Fragrant Flowers: yes

Attracts: Birds

Ceanothus americanus. New Jersey-tea is a low, upright, deciduous shrub that grows to only 3 ft. tall. Pubescent leaves give the entire plant a grayish cast. Small white flowers occur in 2 in., branch-tip clusters. A low shrub with tiny white flowers in oval clusters rising from the leaf axils on the new shoots. The base is woody, while the upper portion of the plant is made up of herbaceous, spreading branches. Fall color is insignificant.